A Buff Beauty
by Another Artist
Summary: Fate has a funny way of working out things that should probably be wrong into something that couldn't be more right. Natalie/Hamilton. OneShot.


**A****/N: **To Joelle8, the creator of this lovely crack!ship. I usually don't like crack!ships, but I'm finding Jo's to be very awesome. Anyway, here we go...

* * *

**A Buff Beauty**

Hamilton/Natalie.

* * *

**I. **

Neither of them knew exactly when it began, or when it ended. It was around the time when Amy went off to college, and Hamilton was up all night talking to her on the phone while she studied. Amy told her about everything: the classes, the people, the work. She'd never complain about any of it, which made Hamilton smile a lot. What she did complain about, however, was a certain companion she had picked up over at her job nearby.

Hamilton tried his best to keep her happy, despite the difference in time and measure of miles separating them. He comforted her, and told her that'd it would be all right. She would always smile whenever he talked to her, because she loved to hear his voice after a long day.

It was a rainy day for Amy on that particular evening for Hamilton.

"The rain keeps dropping onto the outside awning, making an awful amount of noise," Amy told Hamilton as she flipped through her textbook, reviewing over the work gone over that day. "I wonder if I will be able to get to sleep tonight."

"It's only three in the afternoon over there, Amy," he comforted. "It should be gone by the time you have to sleep. Don't worry about it." He stifled a yawn clumsily. The dim lighting in his room only made his eyes yearn for rest even more.

"You should really get to sleep, Hamilton. It's not healthy for you to always stay up so late," Amy reprimanded, shaking her head.

"It's fine," he said, his eyes half-closed. "I always talk to you until your four-thirty class." That night, however, he wasn't so sure if he could make it for so long. It was already twelve-thirty in the morning, and he had football practice the next day at his local college. He was lucky he didn't have a roommate, or that might have made it even harder for him to talk to her. "Besides, this is the only time I get to talk to you each day. You're busy until now."

Amy let out a sigh, and stopped flipping through her pages. She climbed off of her bed and over to the window, closing the curtains. "I know," she said, biting her lip. "But I feel so bad."

He smiled at this. Amy felt bad for a lot of things that weren't her fault. He remembered that one time where he got himself in trouble - and by trouble he means yelled at by his coach and made to stay afterwards to run laps in the scorching sun - and Amy went on blaming herself over the phone when he told her. But it was his fault for staying up, not hers. He only wished he could get her to see that. "Don't feel bad - it's my decision."

"But I'm the reason for -"

"I said not to feel bad," he said. "Now, tell me more about work."

Amy worked at a newspaper company, writing amateur articles and taking photographs for them at the moment. It was just a day job, she said, to pay off her loan. She didn't hate it though, because she actually liked taking pictures and writing for them, but she didn't like her manager. Somehow, by twist of fate, it turned out that Ian's father had owned that company and had made Ian work there as a punishment for dropping out of the college they had paid for. Ian didn't drop out of college all together - he had simply dropped out of the college his parents wanted. When he learned Amy was working there a week after his job had been assigned, it only made it easier.

"Well, today, Ian sent me out on ridiculous errands again," Amy mumbled, plopping herself onto the chair in front of her desk. She picked up a pencil and started playing with it absentmindedly.

"What was it this time?"

"First, he made me call the airport to find out if his sister had arrived over in Petesburgh today," Amy said. "I mean, that's not too bad, I know. But that's only the first part. He made me call every thirty minutes, up until the time when the plane actually arrived. I called around nineteen times, Hamilton! I'm pretty sure if I ever go to that airport again and run into that lady, she'd recognize my voice immediately. She'd probably cancel my flight too."

Hamilton chuckled. "So, his sister's coming over here? Why would she want anything to do with this town anyway?" Hamilton's college happened to have been in the small town of Petesburgh, where Hamilton grew up before leaving for the city. It wasn't big, or full of anything extraordinary, but it was home to him.

Amy shrugged, though she knew he wouldn't see it. "I don't know. I didn't ask. But wanna know what else Ian made me do?"

"What?" Hamilton asked, a grin on his worn-down face.

"He made me squeeze him orange juice! Can you believe that? I had to go down to the market, buy one of those things to squeeze the orange juice and some oranges, and go back. And when I did, he told me I had to do it by hand! So I had to go and buy a different kind, and do it myself. I was so frustrated, Hamilton!" she said, shaking her head at the thought.

"At least he didn't ask you to make him coffee by hand," Hamilton pointed out.

"That's true, though kind of impossible now that I think about it," Amy replied thoughtfully, leaning against her elbow on the table. "Oh, and he made me..."

/\

The next morning, Hamilton got up, sleepy as always. He only got around four hours of sleep before he had to get up for his early practice. He took a brief, cold shower, and threw on jeans and a t-shirt. He stuffed his equipment into his duffel bag and left his dorm, only half-aware of his surroundings. Stumbling down the familiar halls, he ran into someone.

"Ow! Watch it!" the figure snapped, fallen to the ground under his bigger body. Her eyes were closed, shut from the suddenness of his assault.

Hamilton's eyes were wide open though, awoken by the sudden hit. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention -"

"Obviously," she said, pushing him aside and off of her. She wasn't stronger than him, of course, but she managed to have gotten up. Looking away, she fixed her once-perfect outfit that consisted of a pink skirt and white v-neck. Annoyed, she turned back to him, her arms crossed. Once she saw him, though, one of her eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Dolt - I mean, Holt?"

Hamilton too raised an eyebrow, not recognizing the dark-haired beauty before him. She seemed familiar, her demeaning eyes and unearthly beauty, but it had been too long and he had forgotten her. "Who are you?"

The girl rolled her eyes, the question foreshadowed already mentally. "Who else could have looks these great?" she asked, motioning to herself. "It's Natalie, you imbecile."

Hamilton's mouth formed an 'o' shape, finally recognizing the girl. "Oh, Natalie! Amy told me you were going to be here."

"Figured, since my brother told her to call," Natalie replied, placing a hand on her hip.

Hamilton was a bit surprised to find her without a purse. "Where's your pu -"

Natalie interrupted though, and kept on talking. "You see, my parents were very angered when Ian left the school they paid so much for him to attend. Angered enough to think I would follow my brother's foolish steps." A scowl formed on her perfectly pink lips. "So, they decided that they'd send me here - in the middle of _nowhere _- to attend college. I tried arguing, using the school's academics and emptiness for my sake, but they wouldn't budge." She crossed her arms now. "So I'm stuck here because of my brother's mistakes."

Though he was following along, only somewhat distracted by her being without a purse, he didn't understand fully about her situation. "So, you're here why...?"

"Because my parents think that I'll be ungrateful if they send me somewhere fancy," she snapped, glaring at him. "Weren't you listening?"

"Well, yeah, but... why don't you just leave?" It was a question Hamilton had yet to have been answered.

"Oh, I've thought of that," Natalie assured him. "But they already threatened to disown me if I did."

That answered his question. "Then, it's nice to have you here then, Natalie. Welcome to Petes-"

"Don't say it," she interrupted, holding up a manicured hand. "I don't want to be welcomed here - I want to leave." And with that, she went storming down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Wonder if she knows this is the boys' building," he murmured to himself, walking towards the exit.

Hamilton showed up to his football practice ten minutes late because of the incidence, and his coach made him run laps on the dewy grass until his next class. He slipped a couple of times, and got mud all over himself often. He was walking over to the locker room to shower when he heard heels.

"That's disgusting," Natalie murmured under her breath, taking in the young man before her covered in mud.

Hamilton turned around and caught Natalie with his eyes. "Yeah, well, it's football. Things get dirty sometimes." He shrugged, showing his nonchalance at being dirty.

She eyed him, disgust clear in her dark orbs. Hamilton wanted to roll his eyes - of course she wouldn't understand. Kabras don't get down and dirty. He was about to go walk into the locker room to take a shower when she stopped him again.

"What?" Hamilton asked, tired from the laps and now that.

"I-" she scowled at herself for stopping and tried once more. "I'm... kind of... somewhat... _lost_." She whispered the last word, as if it was a big secret that no one but her and Hamilton were supposed to know.

He didn't have time to handle this - he was going to be late to class if he let her sidetrack him again. But Hamilton, though never fond of the Kabras, wasn't a mean person outright. Sure, he had muscles that would scare off even the toughest of jocks, but ever since the hunt, he had softened. He didn't like it at times, and neither did his father, but he knew Amy liked it.

"Why don't you just ask one of the teachers or guards -"

"And let them know Natalie Kabra is lost at a measly college?" she snapped, interrupting him. "No. Never. At least with you, I know... well, probably not. I cannot trust you. But I can trust you only a tinier bit more than a stranger."

"You're overreacting, Natalie," he sighed, shaking his head. "It's just -"

"Yeah, it's just college," she interrupted once more. "But I'm not 'just a person'. I'm Natalie Kabra, one of the heirs to the Kabra fortune. If word goes out that I can't find my way around a college, imagine how it'll be like when I take over my parent's companies? My employees and even associates will always remember me as the girl who got lost before her first class and they'll never take me serious."

Hamilton took this in, though he didn't care much for the whole thing. "Actually, you won't take over all of their companies. Ian will -"

"You get the point," she hissed.

_Will she ever let me finish, _Hamilton thought to himself, frowning. "Fine, I'll help you. But can you let me shower first? Unless you want a big, muddy guy following you."

Natalie grimaced. "Of course not. Imagine _those _headlines."

Hamilton nodded, figuring if he agreed she'd let him go. He went into the locker room and took a quick shower, and threw his dirty clothes into his bag. He knew it'd stink up the whole thing, but it didn't matter at that moment. He put on his casual clothes from earlier and walked out of the locker room, feeling better than when he came in.

"Okay, let's g- where did she go?" he asked, looking around for the dark-haired girl who was standing her earlier. He sighed to himself. _If I'm late because of this... _his thought trailed off as he shook his head. He started walking, hoping to find her, when he heard a male voice intertwined with a female's - who seemed to have been arguing.

He followed the voice warily, thinking she might be nearby. She was - in fact, she was the female voice arguing. There was a college boy in front of her, his arm propped up against the wall she was leaning against, his head tilted towards her. He seemed to have been flirting, but Natalie looked as if she was resisting.

"Ew," she hissed. "You're a disgusting nobody. Why would I want you?"

The stranger laughed coolly. "Come on, babe. Don't be like that."

"I'm not your babe, first of all," she snapped. "And don't talk to me like that. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course, you're one hot -" He collapsed to the floor before he could finish. Natalie had pressed a finger to his neck before that, Hamilton noticed.

"Did you just -"

"If he finished that sentence, he would've been dead rather than passed out right now," she said abruptly, stepping over his body. "I swear, this school is full of disgusting boys like him."

"Thanks...?" Hamilton said, a bit offended seeing as how he was one of those boys.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, you know what I mean."

He shrugged, even though he kind of didn't. But, if he did know what it meant, he might've smiled. Maybe.

/\

"Whoa, wait, so Natalie is going to your school now?" Amy asked from the other side of the line. She was getting ready for her exam next class, and Hamilton was helping her study. That is, until he brought up Natalie.

Hamilton nodded. "Yeah."

Amy half-smiled, the phone pressed against her ear and her shoulder. "Is she a pain in the neck like her brother?"

He laughed, now realizing what Amy put up with everyday was probably even worse that what he had in one day. "Yes. She had me showing her her classes all day. At lunch, she made me carry her stuff while she ate, what she described to me as 'filthy junk food for Americans'."

Amy laughed, flipping the page as she scanned it. "That sounds just like her brother."

"Now I know what you have to go through," he said, smiling as he laid on his bed, the lamp beside him on.

Amy shrugged. "I guess, but I think Natalie might be worse than her brother at times."

"What makes you think that?" Hamilton asked, curious.

"Because she's the girl version of Ian," she said. "So she must be worse."

Hamilton laughed again, which made Amy smile and laugh softly. "So, how was practice today?" Amy asked.

"I was late," Hamilton sighed.

"I told you!" Amy gasped.

"Not because of this," he said, a grin on his face. "It's because I ran into Natalie this morning and she made a big deal about it."

Amy laughed silently. "Sounds like Natalie, all right. I feel bad for you. I only have Ian in the morning, while you have to take Natalie the whole day."

"I don't have to," he reminded her.

"But you aren't saying no," she brought up.

"I know. I can't figure out why I won't say no either," he sighed, putting his free hand behind his head.

"It's the Kabra charm," Amy joked.

Hamilton laughed. "Yeah. I bet that's it."

"I should go now," Amy said with a sigh. "Class is in thirty minutes and I need to review."

"I can help," he offered.

Amy shook her head. "It's fine, Hamilton. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good luck with your cobra problem."

He grinned. "Back at ya."

Amy hung up and Hamilton set his phone back in its charger. He leaned back down on his bed and took in a deep breath. He didn't want to even think about what was going to happen tomorrow, or the day after.

* * *

**II. **

Days passed, each similar to the one before. Hamilton was still stuck taking Natalie around, though he didn't understand why she kept him around because she knew where all her classes were then. They didn't talk much, despite them always being together on campus. But that didn't stop the rumor mill from talking for them.

_"Did you hear? Football player Hamilton Holt, number 35, is dating that pretty new girl on campus." _

_"I am so jealous! She is so pretty, and Hamilton is so hot!" _

_"Dude, the chick is pretty good looking. Too bad she's taken by that Holt dude." _

At first, Hamilton and Natalie were oblivious to the news. Hamilton, because of Natalie, wasn't able to hang around with his friends as often, and he didn't hear the rumors. Natalie didn't care enough to make any friends, so she didn't hear either.

But there's always that one girl - the one that squeals for no reason - who has to break the peace.

"OMG, Hamilton! I didn't know you had a girlfriend!" she squealed, running up to the football player and his 'girlfriend'. "She's so pretty!"

"I don't have a -" Hamilton said, confused.

"I always thought you were going to go out with that girl you've been telling everyone about - what's her name? Aly? - but now it's obvious you found someone better!"

"Her name's Amy, and I'm not going out with -"

But before he could finish, the girl had already turned to Natalie, who was not very amused at the moment. "What brand of make-up do you use? It matches your skin, like, perfectly. And -"

"Stop talking," Natalie interrupted, holding a hand up.

The girl stopped, and frowned. "Why -"

"I said to stop talking," she said again, frustrated. "Now, what are you rambling about? Hamilton doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Of course he does, silly! You're his girlfriend!" she said, giggling.

Natalie was just about to knock out this girl when Hamilton caught her look and warned her away with his eyes. She glared at him, but didn't do anything.

"Listen, Natalie and I aren't going out, 'kay? Who told you that?" he asked, frowning at the bubbly girl.

"_Everyone _knows it," she said incredulously, as if they didn't know.

It's funny, 'cause they didn't.

/\

"I heard you're dating the Dolt," Ian said to his sister as they spoke over the phone.

Natalie gaped. "You aren't serious, Ian! How could you have heard that?"

"The whole world knows it," he said nonchalantly, leaning against his chair.

"No way!" she cried. "No, this could ruin my reputation! Ian, how could you -"

"I'm joking, dear sister of mine," he replied dryly, smirking.

"That's not funny, Ian," she snapped. "Then who told you?"

"Amy," he replied as if it was obvious.

"Urgh!" Natalie let out, frustrated. "Ian, everyone on campus thinks I'm dating that dolt! It's ridiculous!"

"Well, you've been around him a lot," he pointed out.

"Because he's the only person I know," she snapped.

"Find new friends then."

Natalie almost laughed. "If you've met the students here, you'd know how impossible that'd be for me. They're all stupid."

"And dolt isn't?

Natalie thought about this for a moment. "He's smarter than most of the other people," she admitted. "He's a history major. I didn't know that. _I'm _a history major, Ian. It means we actually have something in common."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a drama queen, Natalie. One drama queen is enough for a family; don't follow mother's footsteps. It's just one thing."

"I know," Natalie muttered, annoyed at her brother for comparing her to their mother. "So, what am I supposed to do about it, huh, Ian? I can't just keep letting everyone think I have that dolt as a boyfriend."

Ian thought about it for a moment. He didn't want to help his sister that much - it was her problem, not his. But he knew that if he didn't solve it, he'd be stuck hearing Amy complain about complain about this. He'd much rather hear her complain about his errands than about the dolt. "Get a real boyfriend."

"I told you -"

"Not one at the school. I'll find you one," Ian said, hanging up before Natalie could respond.

The next day, Hamilton waited by the football field after practice for Natalie. She was late, but that wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the fact that she did arrive, but with her arm around another boy's. He was brown haired and green eyed, and he wasn't familiar to Hamilton. When he spoke, he had an English accent. It wasn't hard for Hamilton to guess who he was.

"So you got a real boyfriend to get rid of the rumors," Hamilton said, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, he was my boyfriend before all of this," Natalie told him. Though, they had broken up right before she went off to college. She was going to get Ian back for giving her back her ex that she didn't want, but then was not the time to be picky. She had a reputation to hold up.

"Right," Hamilton said dryly. "Should we go to class?"

Natalie nodded, but Hamilton started walking off the other way. "Wait, where are you going?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"My next class?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"But you always walk me to my classes," she said. It wasn't that she wanted him to walk her to class, she told herself. But she liked regularity, and him walking her was regularity.

"Yeah, but you have Caleb," he said, motioning to her tall, handsome boyfriend.

She opened her mouth to object, but she closed it shut. "Right. Then... I shall see you around, Holt."

Hamilton nodded. "See you, Kabra."

Natalie was a lot more disappointed that she would ever want to admit to be.

/\

The next couple of days went like that. Hamilton and Natalie would no longer meet up with each other to walk to their classes, and soon the rumor mill had gotten rid of their 'relationship' and replaced it with news of Hamilton's 'ex' and her new beau. Hamilton, now with his old friends, heard a lot about them - more than he'd like. Whenever they were brought up, he'd try and change the subject. Soon, he was accused of being 'jealous', so he just stopped trying.

"Wow," Amy said when he told her about it all.

"I know," Hamilton said, rolling his eyes. "Why would I be jealous of a fake relationship?"

"No, I mean, it sounds like you really are jealous," Amy said sheepishly, glad this was just a talk over the phone.

Hamilton gaped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm not jealous! How can I be? Natalie and I were never dating."

"I know, but maybe you might've... um, never mind," Amy said, shaking her head.

"What?" Hamilton asked.

"It's nothing. Just a stupid, stupid theory, probably," Amy shrugged.

"No, I want to hear. Nothing you think is stupid," he prodded, encouraging her.

"Okay," she said slowly, biting her lip. "But please don't get mad at me for it."

Now he was confused. "Why would I be mad?"

"It's just... IkindofthinkyoulikeNatalie."

"Amy, I could not understand a word of that."

"I think you like Natalie," she repeated, slower. She flinched, even though Hamilton hadn't said anything. It was the silence that followed and her guilt that made her flinch involuntarily. "... Hamilton? I'm sorry. I told you it was stupid," she insisted.

Hamilton shook his head, taking this in at the same time. "Nothing you think is stupid," he reassured her, though this last statement was making him worry about that. "It's okay. It's fine, Amy. I-I should go. Bye Amy."

"Bye Hamilton," she said quietly, hanging up. That was the first time Hamilton ever left before her next class began.

* * *

**III.**

That day, Hamilton didn't go to practice. He knew he was going to get yelled at the next day, but he was much too tired to wake up. He almost missed his first class, even, if he hadn't gotten a visitor knocking on his door.

Grumpily, he asked, "Who is it?"

"Just open up the door, Holt," Natalie said from the other side.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he asked sleepily.

"Why do you care?" she asked. She couldn't help but smirk.

"I don't," he said, opening up the door.

Natalie eyed him, an eyebrow raised. "No shirt?"

Hamilton looked down. He had forgotten to put one on before he got the door. "Yeah. So?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him aside, entering his room. "What are you doing asleep?" she asked.

"How'd you know I was asleep?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew that she knew that he was supposed to be finishing practice right then.

"I'm always at your practice," she told him, which surprised him. He thought she just came after they were done. He didn't know she actually watched them play. "Yeah, I know. I never want to be there either, but I'd never have anything to do."

"But you have Caleb now," he said dryly.

"Yeah, but he doesn't want to get up until he has to. So, until then, I'd always go to your practice," she said. Hamilton expected her to be embarrassed about it - Amy would have been, he knew. But then again, when has Natalie ever been shy about anything? "And you weren't there, so I figured you either got a girlfriend to skip with or you were still asleep."

"I could've gotten a girlfriend," he pointed out. "So if I did, why are you here?"

"I assumed you didn't," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Right..." he said slowly, not understanding. "It's almost time for your next class. Where's your boyfriend?"

"Oh, right," she said, remembering. "I broke up with him. Again."

"Again?" he asked, confused now. They had broken up before...?

"I was dating him before I came here, like I said, but I broke up with him. Then Ian heard all about 'us' and called him up. I didn't like it," she admitted.

"But you had a reputation," he finished dryly.

She shrugged, leaning against the wall behind her.

"Then why are you here? You still have a reputation, don't you?" He was much too tired to play her games anymore.

"Right, well... never mind," she said, standing up straight. This was the first time Hamilton had ever seen Natalie actually, if he dared say, nervous. "But, since Caleb's not around, you can walk me to class."

Without letting Hamilton reply, she walked out of the room. As much as it baffled himself to admit it, a smile spread across his lips after that.

/\

Things got back into the notion of how they once were before Caleb showed up. Lucky for them, the rumor mill didn't create any ridiculous stories that might've made things awkward. Weirdly enough, however, things were turning somewhat strange for the two 'friends'.

"Attention to all! The Director of the Fun Committee" - _we have one of those? _Hamilton asked himself as he heard the announcement - "is throwing a winter formal next Friday! Dress looking your best, and bring a date you guys!"

"That was a meaningless announcement," Natalie said once the announcement was over. "I didn't even know colleges had dances."

"They do," Hamilton told her. "But they're not put together by the school. Clubs or organizations put them together, or sororities and fraternities."

Natalie looked at him. "Nice to know..." she said, honestly not caring about the dances.

Hamilton shrugged. "Do you think you're going to go?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

"Oh, well, I'm probably going," he said.

"With who?" she asked suddenly, her voice sharper than usual.

He blinked, taken back by her tone. "Uh, well, me and the guys usually go together with our girls."

"But you don't have a girl," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but I'll just go alone," he said with a shrug.

Natalie let out a huff of air, annoyed. Hamilton would've asked, but he valued his life too much to care.

/\

Hamilton showed up at the formal, alone. He was dressed in a tux, and his hair wasn't spiked up as usual, but combed down. He was hanging out with his friends when he saw her.

She was gorgeous, as always. But this time, she looked even better. She wore a flowing white dress that fell to the ground elegantly, with intricate designs all around it. It out-shined any of the other dresses indefinitely. Her hair was pinned up, with only certain strands falling out to perfectly frame her face. She entered the room, confident as always.

"Wow," Hamilton breathed.

"Dang, your girl is looking fine tonight - ow!" Brian, Hamilton's friend, said. He was interrupted by his long-time girlfriend's hit on the shoulder. "You know I love you, Trish." She crossed her arm and looked away.

Hamilton couldn't turn away from Natalie though. Sure, he's always with her and her beauty should have been natural to him, but that night she was something special. All of the other people in the room had turned to see her, and they were taken away as well.

Natalie spotted Hamilton and walked over to him. "Hello Hamilton."

"Hi Natalie," he said slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"I honestly don't know," she sighed. "But I got bored so I decided to come. How do you like dress?"

"It's beautiful," he admitted.

She grinned. "I know."

Brian nudged him, and whispered into his ear, "Well? Ask her to dance, Holt!"

Hamilton pushed him away, scowling at his friend. He turned back to her and unconsciously gulped. "Would you, um, like to dance?"

Natalie almost said no by instinct, but stopped herself. Slowly, she said, "Yes."

He led her to the dance floor. The first dance was a party sort-of dance, so it wasn't that awkward. But after those dances were the slow ones. And those were awkward to say the least. Hamilton was never a good dancer, while Natalie took dance class as a child. The tension between the two didn't help either.

"So..." Hamilton said awkwardly, looking away.

Natalie didn't reply. If she did, it would've made the whole conversation even worse, she knew.

Hamilton didn't have anything to ask; he was with her almost all of the time. It was surprisingly hard to start a conversation with someone who's always there by your side. Both of them were quiet after that, not saying anything, just dancing.

It was like that for the rest of the night. But none of them had been happier.

* * *

**IV.**

"Wait, so you and Natalie danced?" Amy asked.

_"So you danced with the dolt?" Ian asked his sister incredulously._

"Yeah," Hamilton admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

_"Yeah," Natalie snapped at her brother. "What's wrong with that?"_

"Was she pretty?"

_"Did he step on your toes?" _

"... yeah."

_"Yes." _

"Aw, I knew you liked her!"

_"Don't tell me you like him!" _

"I don't like her!"

_"I don't like him!" _

"But you danced with her!" Amy insisted.

_"Don't lie to me," Ian hissed._

"I know..."

_"I'm not!" _

"Come on, just tell me if you like her. I won't tell anyone!"

_"Tell me, or I'll tell mother."_

"Fine... maybe I do, kind of, maybe, think she's... pretty."

_"Ian!" _

"Aw! But, there's more to it, right? You can't just think she's pretty."

_"Either tell me the truth or face the consequences." _

"Fine. She's also smart," Hamilton admitted, his face flushed.

_"Okay! I kind of thought he was handsome, but so what? Ian, do not tell mother!" Natalie hissed into the phone._

"What else?" Amy pushed.

_"That's disgusting," Ian muttered. "What else?" _

"And I like her! Fine, you caught me Amy," Hamilton muttered.

_"And he's smart, and nice. There. That's it," Natalie snapped._

"AW!" Amy cooed. "I'm so proud of you! Even if it is Natalie!"

_Ian let out a sigh. "I'm not proud of this, Natalie. But it is your decision." _

Hamilton grinned. "Thanks, Amy."

_"Really? So you're not going to tell mother?"_

"You're welcome."

_"No."_

"So... when are you going to admit that you like Ian?" Hamilton pushed, now putting the spotlight on her.

_"Now when are you going to tell me that you like that Cahill girl? It's not fair that I get all the blame." _

"I do not like Ian."

_"I do not have to tell you anything, Natalie." _

Hamilton grinned. "Fine. Don't tell me... yet."

_"Fine," Natalie huffed. "But I'll get it out of you one day, Ian." _

Both lines hung up afterwards. Hamilton went to bed, a smile on his face. And Natalie, as shocking as it may sound, did the same.

/\

Things weren't the same for Natalie and Hamilton. Natalie admitted, though not to the person, that she thought him to be handsome, smart, and nice. Hamilton admitted, not to the person, that he thought her to be pretty and smart. Maybe it wasn't a big deal, but it was a step towards something different. Something some people might describe as a buff beauty.

* * *

**A/N: **Whether Petesburgh is an actual place is beyond me, so don't ask. So, this is probably my longest oneshot. I found it hard, at first, to find a way to make their relationship actually spark. So, I decided the rumor mill should be in charge of that ;)

Anyway, so... I have a big question to ask about the oneshots: do you guys think there are too many breaks? It's my main concern really. That there are too many breaks between the scenes... (insert sigh). Oh well. Oh, and how do you think about it overall? I don't really like it, the way I developed it, and I think Jo and her story will do it better than mine.

Hope I didn't disappoint you, Jo. :( Thanks to Klbooks for reading this over for me, and betaing it for me. Hope you guys enjoyed.

"Every smile has a reason."  
- Another Artist


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